The Consulate General of India in Los Angeles, USA, issued a major positive announcement for members of the Indian diaspora community residing in four American states this week. On Monday (US time), the administrative office issued a public announcement, declaring that it had begun providing visa and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) services from April 6.
Consulate General in Los Angeles begins Indian visa and OCI services
According to the official release, these services will be available to applicants currently in four US states: Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico.
As these services were originally being taken care of by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, CGI Los Angeles further highlighted in its official X post that passport, Global Entry Program (GEP), Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), and Surrender Certificate applications for applicants from the aforementioned states will continue to be processed by the San Francisco office.
“All applications from the above jurisdiction must be submitted at VFS Los Angeles,” CGI Los Angeles tweeted on X. “We look forward to serving the Indian Diaspora and all applicants in our jurisdiction.”
Consulate General of India in Los Angeles is pleased to inform the public that Indian Visa and OCI services will be available at the Consulate starting April 6, 2026 for residents of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
— India in Los Angeles (@CGILosAngeles) April 7, 2026
Passport, GEP, PCC & Surrender Certificate… pic.twitter.com/ftSVyJL6gB
For the unversed, VFS (Visa Facilitation Services) is an outsourced commercial partner that processes applications for Indian consular services. The latest CGI Los Angeles announcement comes merely months after a VFS-operated Indian Consular Application Centre in LA was opened in late 2025.
Indian Govt launches new OCI portal
In addition to the commencement of visa and OCI services in the Los Angeles office, the Government of India has launched a new OCI portal for “a smoother, faster and more secure experience.”
As foregrounded in the official X post, the latest development on the immigration front will facilitate easier document uploads, simplified payments for applicants in India and abroad, improved navigation and functionality, and allow applicants to track their applications with a real-time dashboard.
The portal is now live at: ociservices.gov.in.
Meanwhile, applicants hoping to acquire Indian visas have been directed to the Indian Government’s authorised visa application portal: Indianvisaonline.gov.in.
In other related news, the India-US Trade Facilitation Portal, a digital gateway to boost trade between the two countries, is also set to go live this week. India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, will be inaugurating the portal, with the launch event taking place at the Consulate in New York.
Multiple diplomatic missions in the US have jointly collaborated to push this initiative. Alongside the New York Consulate and the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, missions in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Seattle and San Francisco were also involved.
In an official release published by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Government of India announced that Misri will be visiting Washington, DC, from April 8 to 10, 2026. His official trip to the US will be centred around holding discussions with senior officials of the current US administration on diverse issues, including trade, defence, science and technology, in addition to regional and global developments of mutual interest to both countries.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to review the full spectrum of India–US bilateral relations and advance ongoing cooperation across key areas,” MEA stated.